The Highmore Chronicles: The Oracles
by AJ Day
Summary: The second book of The Highmore Chronicles. After her first trip to the Ministry to take her seers test, Eva hears about the oracles. When she returns to school, with the help of the twins, Eva tries to find answers. But when she sees the truth, Eva realizes that not everyone is being honest about the wizarding world.
1. Prologue

Before you read this story, please check out the first book: s/8252099/1/The-Highmore-Chronicles-The-Lost-Kingpin

 **Prologue::**

 _July 15th, 2010_

 _I have been staring at this letter relentlessly. Eva's Hogwarts Acceptance Letter arrive two weeks ago and I still cannot make up my mind whether to send her back._

 _I know she has seen it and I know how she feels but I am torn. Holt cannot be trusted and if they can allow what happened last year to slide- I just don't know if I can knowingly put her in danger again._

 _Now I have the Ministry contacting me about seers registration for her._

 _In my investigations I have narrowed down my searches to several people in the MoM. Some of which have much influence over what goes on in that building. Am I sending Eva into another situation that could harm her?_

 _I am so torn. I know these terrible things are happening, that this peaceful time will come to a quick end for all magic folk. But at the same time I know that Eva might be something of importance, especially to those in the Revival._

 _So, who do I protect?_

 _Over these past weeks we have rekindled what we had before she left for Hogwarts. I was afraid when she returned, after the things I said, she would be angry with me. But she accepted me back. I have never been accepted back after the terrible things I have done in my past. She is my daughter, no matter where she came from._

 _There is a connection between Eva and the Revival. I just hope I am not the link. I hope I am not the one to ruin another wonderful thing that has been given to me. I will protect Eva, that is what I choose. But at what cost?_

 _MH_


	2. Chapter 1: The Seer's Test

**Chapter 1:: The Seer's Test**

Eva stood by Michael's side as they waited in a long line of people. She had no idea what they were waiting for but they left Caterjune Square incredibly early that morning.

Grannie Gracie had helped her get dressed in something new that she bought Eva. It was navy blue with a black collar and long sleeves. Gran had managed to tie her messy hair into bun that sat on top of her head. A few pieces had already fallen out in their journey.

Every minute the line would move forward and Eva leaned over to see what was coming. She could see the in the distance a tunnel entrance for the underground train. Eva had never been on the train and could not imagine where they would need to take a train to.

Soon, they reached the entrance and road an escalator down into the darkness. Florescent lights flickered above her and she leaned closer to Michael as they descended.

"Step," Michael said lifting her hand up. She stepped over the final moving stair and entered into the white tiled hall filled with people. She thought that most of these people were muggles but some seemed oddly out of place.

They moved with the crowd towards one of the landings for a train. On the light up board it said the blue line train would be next.

Movement began as the train squealed into the room and stopped in front of the landing. A flood of people began to fill the train but Michael did not seem intent to get on this train. Nor did many others who watched as the train loaded with people began to depart the station.

There was a long pause as everyone stood motionless waiting for something to happen.

In the distance, Eva could hear a strange horn tooting. The ground began to rumble and she leaned forward to look down the tunnel. A white light began to form and she could feel the pull of the air as a new train approached.

She looked up at the light up board and saw that the silver line train was approaching.

There was a rush of wind and then a train pulled up to the landing. It looked different than other train though. It had a beautiful shell that looked like sparkling glass , so smooth you could see your reflection. Several doors began to open and they were greeted with a tinkle of small bells.

Everyone began to file into the carts. Michael pulled Eva into the cart in front of them and found two velvet covered seats. She sat next to the crystal clear windows and watched as everyone else crowded around them.

Soon, the small bells chimed again and the doors closed. The carts were packed with witches and wizards seated or standing as the train pulled away from the landing.

The train started off slow and smooth. Eva watched as the tunnel lights passed her as the vehicle began to pick up steam. But suddenly, the lights stopped passing by and they were left in darkness, as if they had strayed from the tracks.

In an instance, Eva's throat caught as she felt the cart make a sharp descent downwards. Down into the darkness they went with sear speed.

Though Eva felt like they were out of control and at risk of crashing everyone else went on with their normal business. Some had the Daily Prophet and were flipping through it. Others were chatting with the person next to them not taking notice of rollercoaster ride.

Michael placed his hand into Eva's as he saw she was tense.

"Don't worry," he said softly and kept his fingers locked with hers.

The train leveled out but began to weave in out. Still out the window Eva saw nothing but pitch black.

The moment began to make Eva dizzy and she squeezed her eyes shut, holding her father's hand even tighter.

All of the sudden, with a hard thrust forward, the tram came to a stop. Eva nearly fell out of her seat, but Michael had held on just enough to keep her steady.

As she opened her eyes, Eva saw that no one seemed phased by the trip and all began to crowd around the sliding doors.

The jingling of the bells began again and the doors opened causing a flood of witches and wizards alike to exit the cart. Eva turned to look out the window and saw that they were park in front of a large, dark stone hall. The walls seemed to be made from glass and reflected the crowd of magic folk heading to the Ministry of Magic.

Michael pulled her from the seat and led her out of the cart. They entered into the crowds of people. Some were in muggle clothes, some in magical robes, and some were so oddly dressed she couldn't figure out where they were going.

In the distance, she heard the crackle of a fire, that seemed to pop and sizzle rapidly. While Michael pulled her along she looked to the side and saw that there was an in network floo system. Hundreds of fireplaces glowed, for an instance, with green flame and release more witches and wizards into the fray.

"Come on, Eva," Michael said behind him. She realized that she had slowed down and was dragging him behind. She picked up the pace and followed closely behind him.

Suddenly, the long hall opened into a large open room. The ceiling was so tall she couldn't see where it ended. Hundreds of windows dwelled above her head which seemed to have paper flying from one to another. In the center of the room was a large fountain, adorned with a large centaur, a beautiful woman and a man. Sitting closer to the water two small creature of which she did not know.

Eva wished to stay and look at the beauty of the building but Michael was in a hurry.

They entered into a small elevator with many other. Eva was pushed between the wall and Michael as, more than what was necessary, people climbed in the small area. The gates closed in front of them, but instead of going up, the cart went backwards. Again Eva felt the nausea of not knowing the direction in which she was headed.

Every once in a while the cart would stop and several people would climb off, freeing up some space.

The elevator seemed to in every direction as it made its stops. Within several minutes the room was completely empty except Eva and Michael as it journeyed to their location.

"Father, where are we going exactly?" Eva asked in the silent space.

"I told you we are needed in the MoM to get your registered," he said his eyes remaining forward. She just realized that he seemed quite nervous. His head was covered in sweat and he consistently was pushing back his black hair, which is what he did when he was anxious.

"Right, registering as a seer. But where are we going here? It is taking a lot longer than all the other stops."

Michael took a deep breath and looked down at her with a half smile. She knew for sure he was nervous. "We are going to the Department of Mysteries. Not many people go down there except those that work in it or have an appointment, like us."

Eva left it at that and considered if she should be nervous.

The elevator stopped abruptly and the gates opened. They stepped into a smaller hallway, though it looked identical to all the others with the black, crystal walls. In the front of the hall stood a man with peppered hair and a large pointed nose. He had a grin on his face and stood motionless as they approached.

"Ah, good morning. I was afraid you weren't going to make it," the man said to Michael, who seemed to tower over him.

"I'm sorry, Eva hasn't seen the Ministry quite yet and was quite in awe by it," Michael replied. He reached out his hand but the man pulled the clip board that he was holding closer to his chest instead. Michael nodded and retracted his hand. "I am Michael Highmore and this is Eva."

"As I had guessed by your appointment information. I am Allen Atkinson, Unspeakable and Registrar." Though his words might have been harsh and unkind, his face continued to grin.

"What is an Unspeaka..." Eva began to say but Michael interrupted.

"Of course, Mr. Atkinson. We don't want to take more time than is necessary. Shall I wait here for Eva?" Michael said pushing Eva forward. She turned back to him with fear in her eyes.

"Why can't you go with me?" she questioned.

"It will be fine Eva," he said crouching down. "I can't be there for the registration so they get a good idea of what you are capable of without distraction. But I will be right out here, waiting for you when you are finished."

"If you don't mind, I have schedule to maintain," Atkinson stated bluntly.

Michael gave her a reassuring smile, pushing a stray blonde hair behind her ear. He stood up and pushed her towards Allen Atkinson who turned on his heels and walked down the long hall.

Eva slowly followed, only looking back once to see Michael messing with his hair again.

They passed by several unmarked doors before they arrived at the room where Mr. Atkinson entered.

She stepped inside a large room. By the far wall was a desk, perfectly neat with only a quill and cup of ink on it. He took a seat in the large chair behind it and set down his clip board, centering it on the desk.

"Now, just a few formal questions; please state your full name," he began dipping the quill in the black ink.

"Eva Highmore."

Mr. Atkinson looked up from his parchment. "A middle name?"

"I don't think I have one," Eva said with a shrug.

He stared for just a moment and then shook his head. "Date of birth."

"Well, I don't know the actually day that I was born but I celebrate my birthday on May 1st. That was the day I was adopted." Eva smiled, thinking fondly of this day.

"What do you mean you do not know your date of birth?" Mr. Atkinson seemed flabbergasted by this idea and had set his quill down.

"Well, you see, I don't have any memory of life before showing up at a muggle institute. They didn't know my birthday either, so you see I don't really have one." Eva began feeling nervous. She wished that Michael could have been there to explain.

Mr. Atkinson sat for a moment with furrowed brows and a gaping mouth but he resolved himself and sat back in his chair. "I see we will just pull all of this information from our records. Now, you are a resident of house 314 of Caterjune Square?"

Eva nodded, "We call it Highmore House. The one with the red door."

Atkinson ignored that, "And you are currently attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

"I hope so. Michael still has made his mind up about me going back." She was reminded again of the frustrations she had been having trying to get Michael to agree to her return. There was only a few days before her letter had to be returned with an acceptance.

"Right," Mr. Atkinson said taking know mind of her comment. "Now, we will begin the testing."

"Testing?" Eva said nearly climbing out of her chair.

"Yes, we must test your abilities as a seer and its strength. Please calm yourself or the test results will be invalid." The man stood from his large chair to grab some papers.

Eva felt her heart racing. No one had said anything about a test. What if she failed?

"Now, behind my desk you will see five cabinets. On each door you will see a number, 1-5. Inside each cabinet there is an object. I will ask you where each object is located. If you do not know the location of the object say unsure, otherwise just answer with the number. I will record the results. Do you have any questions?" Atkinson sat down once again and prepared his papers.

Eva shook her head though she didn't understand what the test was suppose to prove.

"Place your hands on the desk, just to ensure there is no cheating. Please take time to prepare your mind as you see fit. Let me know when you are ready." He said all these things very rapidly, Eva almost missed the direction about where to place her hands. She slowly set them on the cold desk and tried to breath.

 _What did Madame Duquette teach me?_ Eva began taking deep breaths with her eyes closed. She made her mind's eye blank and was just about to say she was ready when an image flashed through her mind.

There was a man. He was dressed very proper and was entering his home, though she could not see his face. When he walked in he was met with packed bags at the bottom of the step. A woman was slowly walking down the steps holding a child. Her face was sad. The man approached her but she pointed her finger towards the door.

"Ms. Highmore!"

Eva opened her eyes, startled. Mr. Atkinson was looking at her with a perturbed face.

"Ms. Highmore, are you ready to begin?"

She wondered how long she had her eyes closed. Nodding her head rapidly she readjusted herself in the chair.

"Very well. The cabinet with the apple."

Eva suddenly realized she had no idea how to figure this out. There was no indication where any of the object were. She stared helplessly at each cabinet with no help.

"The cabinet with the apple, please."

"Umm, cabinet three," Eva said quickly though it was honestly just a guess.

"Cabinet three, is that your answer?"Atkinson kept his eyes on his papers at all times except to look up and verify her answer. In that moment her eyes caught his and an image flickered before her. She could see him standing before the cabinets, closing the one with the apple inside of it.

"No, it is cabinet number two," Eva said staring at the man. He soon showed discomfort and looked down at his papers.

"Cabinet two, is that your answer?"

"Yes."

"The cabinet with a cat," he began again.

Eva looked to the cabinets once again with no help. This time the man didn't seem to want to look at her. She tried to dip down and see his eyes once again. No luck. Eva then looked down at his palm which was sitting only a few inches from hers. She focused on it and another image flashed before her eyes.

"Cabinet five," she said.  
Atkinson looked up quickly and saw her looking at his hand. He squinted slightly, confused. Once again he confirmed that this was her answer.

He paused after her confirmation and then asked, "The cabinet with the book."

Eva didn't even bother looking at the cabinets, instead she focused on Mr. Atkinson. This time he watched her closely to see how she reacted.

Eva felt something strange before the next image appeared.

"It isn't in any of the cabinets. You removed it and replaced it with a quill. The book is over there on your bookcase." Eva almost surprised herself.

Mr. Atkinson looked over at the shelf where in fact he did put the book this morning. He looked back at her with suspicious eyes. "Moving on. The next test with be as follows." He spoke while be moved the object around. "In front of you are four different colored balls; the order of which is red, yellow, blue, green. Over here we have four different bins labeled one through four. First, I will have you write down where each ball will go. Then I will throw them with my eyes closed into a random bin. I will give you time to examine if you wish."He stepped back, next to his desk and began scribbling things on a parchment.

Eva stood up and walked towards the bins. Indeed, inside the bins where four large numbers written in white ink. All were the same size and equidistant from each other.

She made her way to the desk and placed her hand on each ball. Nothing came to her. She looked over and saw that he had placed a parchment and pen by her seat. What was she going to write?

Closing her eyes she tried to center her thoughts. Nothing appeared. No vision, no inkling. Eva opened her eyes and looked at Mr. Atkinson. She then looked at his hands. Maybe that was the key. Touch.

Cautiously, she approached him and reach her small hand up to his. Her fingers nearly grazed his knuckle before he reacted. Clearly, he hadn't noticed her approach and took a step back.

"What are you doing?" he said pulling the parchment close to his chest.

"Sorry," Eva said feeling quite embarrassed. "I couldn't see anything so I thought that by touching your hand I could see where you would throw them."

He did not say a word, though his eyes showed he was processing her. "Very well, times up, right down your answers." His eyes remained on her as she sat down and picked up the pen.

Taking a deep breath she looked down at the paper. She then began to write, not really having any idea of what she was putting down.

Mr. Atkinson had began to scribble something facing away from her as to not see her answers.

Eva sat the pen down and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"Very good," he said still writing, "Fold the parchment in half and leave it on the desk."

She did as she was told and sat back.

"Very well, I will throw each ball and record the results. We will then compare them to your answers." Mr. Atkinson set down his parchment, out of sight from Eva, though his quill still hovered on its own, ready to write. Picking up the red ball he turned towards the bins. Throwing the first ball, it landed with a clattering sound in a bin. The same happened with the yellow and blue ball.

Eva was too nervous to look.

Finally, he picked up the green ball. Poised he prepared his hand but as he was about to throw a flying piece of parchment entered his office and nearly hit him. This caused the green ball to fly away from the bins and hit the nearby wall. Disoriented, he picked up the letter, now lying on the floor and placed it on his desk. He then went to grab the ball, still rolling on the stone floor.

"We shall redo that one," he said beginning to prepare himself again.

"No," Eva stopped him, sitting up. "That is correct."

He turned and looked at her oddly. His eyes then lowered to her folded parchment, sitting in front of her. Grabbing it slowly he opened the paper and began reading. As he read the quill began to scribble.

"Red ball will land in bin three," he stepped over to the bins seeing the red ball sitting at the bottom. "Yellow ball will land in bin one. Blue ball will land in bin three." Both of these were true. "Green ball will..." he stopped and swallowed. "Green ball will miss all bins and hit the wall behind. This will happen because Mr. Atkinson will be startled by an incoming letter." He looked down at the green ball still in his hand.

There was a long silence as Mr. Atkinson began to write. Eva was not sure if she had done something wrong, right or abnormal.

Her fingers began to sweat with anxiety as she twiddled them about.

"Are you a seer?" The question just seemed to pop out of her mouth without her thinking.

Atkinson looked up and studied her. "No," he said shortly and went back to his work.

Finally, he got up and pulled a large box from a table. He set it down on his desk and began to remove three items.

The first was a large crystal ball on a golden stand. Though this crystal had a very jagged crack through it, making it practically unusable. The second item was pocket watch. It was silver with an ornate design engraved into the outside. The last item was a black feather quill.

"Each of these items has a unique history to them. They have had multiple owners and several events linked to their poignant parts of the past. I will ask you to tell as much as you can about each item," the man said preparing his parchment.

Eva stood up and looked at each item. Nothing flickered by sight.

"May I," she asked, gesturing to the items. Atkinson approvingly nodded and began to scribble.

Eva reached down and first picked up the quill. The feather was soft and slide through her fingers as she watched the small fibers return to their shape. It did not give her any notions, nor did feel anything strange while holding it. Her eyes flickered to the man as he seemed to wait, though not patiently, for her response.

Eva placed it back on the table and moved her hand over to the pocket watch. Wrapping her fingers around the attached chain, she examined it further. A floral pattern was engraved in the gold metal. No other markings were on the outside or even on the inside when she opened it to see the still hands resting at 10:15.

Nothing, she felt absolutely nothing. Eva began to question if this was a skill that she just did not possess. She remembered seeing those visions back at the institute and even in the forest after escaping the mountain. But maybe these were all flukes. Perhaps the past was something that she could not see.

"I'm sorry sir, I don't know," she said placing the watch back down in front of him.

"Well, there is one more. Might as well give it a try," Atkinson replied standing slightly to push the crystal ball and its perch closer to the edge of the table. It almost seemed like he did not want her to pick it up.

Eva stepped closer to the ball. The crack seemed to slice right through the center of the crystal though it still kept its form. Reading a crystal ball was suppose to take much practice but Eva had yet to be trained.

She stepped from side to side, craning her neck around to see all angles. For a moment, she thought she saw movement though considered maybe that was the movement of the dim lights behind it. Eva felt defeated and looked at the man in front of her. She simply shook her head, pursing her lips together in disappointment.

Atkinson made his final note, then stood to pull the ball back to the center of his desk. Eva decided to help and placed her hands crystal. A tingling began to run through her fingers as her hand rested on the sphere. The tingling began to slide up her arms and into her head.

In an instant everything went blank and soon she was blinking her eyes staring up at the ceiling of Mr. Atkinson's small office. She turned to her head and saw that the man was clambering towards her pushing things out of the way.

"Ms. Highmore, are you alright?" he said bending over to look at her.

Eva began to pull herself up, feeling soreness in her head. Atkinson did not attempt to help her, clearly not comfortable with the contact from earlier.

"I'm fine, sorry," she said, finding her way to a seat.

As she sat down Atkinson was walking towards the crystal ball that was now on the floor and seemed to have rolled to the opposite side of the office.

Eva's eyes turned back to the table where his quill furiously scribbled on the parchment even in his absence. She felt perfectly fine but wasn't sure why she had fallen. She did not have a vision or at least she didn't think she had one.

Atkinson placed the ball back on its pedestal and took a seat. There was a long moment of silence as he resumed his writing.

Eva folded her hands in her lap but was unsure what to do or say. "Has this happened before Mr. Atkinson?" she asked breaking the silence.

The man paused but did not look up. "I cannot speak about other's tests."

Again the silence resumed. "Do you know the items history?"

"I do not," he said simply. "Very well Ms. Highmore. We are complete. Expect results within six to eight weeks which will be delivered by owl to your current address." Atkinson stood up and walked towards the door. He gestured for her to exit and she complied.

Atkinson opened the door swiftly and led the way out. As Eva exited, the door immediately closed and locked behind her. They walked back to where Michael had originally left Eva to her tests.

As they approached, though, there was no one to be found. The hallway was completely empty. Eva's heart sank and she wondered, nervously, where Michael could have gone.

"Very well, have a good day Ms. Highmore," Atkinson said shortly and began to turn around.

"Wait," Eva called to him not wanting to be left in such a place. She would prefer waiting with this man then alone. "Can you help me find my father?"

Atkinson turned towards her with an annoyed looked. "I am a busy man. Just wait here, I'm sure he will be about soon."

Just then a door opened a little ways down the hall and voices drifted towards Eva and Atkinson. In a blink of an eye Eva was face to face with her worst nightmare.

Exiting the room was tall, thin woman with fiery red hair. Though her short locks were different from before Eva could recognize her face and structure anywhere.

Madame Duquette gracefully walked out of the room followed by a man. Compared to her lanky physique the man seemed short though he did not lack in bulk. His dark hair was slicked back leaving an oily gleam under the dim lights. He had a full beard that hid his mouth, much like Michaels. Sometimes Eva found it difficult to see Michael's expression when he did not shave his beard. However this man's beard was neat unlike Michael's at times.

In midsentence, the man turned his attention to Eva and Mr. Atkinson, as if they were intruding on their conversation. Duquette slowly turned her head as well, but at the sight of Eva she did not seemed surprised. Instead she lifted her head as if proud of seeing the young girl.

"Eva Highmore, how good to see you?" Duquette began in her strong yet feminine voice. She swiftly made her way towards the young witch and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I hope you had a good summer."

Eva was frozen in her place at the sight of the woman and at the touch of the woman's boney fingers she shivered. In her heart, Eva knew that Duquette had seen this happening.

From behind the woman, her companion approached slowly, hands folded gently in front of him.

"I must introduce you," Duquette began and turned to the man, pulling Eva forward with her hand still gripped to her shoulder. "This is Eva Highmore, the young witch I have been tutoring at Hogwarts. She definitely has a talented sight that we are progressing."

From behind them, Atkinson cleared his throat to catch their attention. Duquette's kind face changed to that of disgust as she turned to look at the man. Before he could speak, the woman spoke in a cold voice. "Don't you have results to develop." Atkinson nodded timidly and then quickly scurried back to his office.

The woman turned her attention once again to her companion, never removing her hand from Eva. "Eva, this is Master Erie Vesper, the Head of the Department of Mysteries."

Eva wasn't sure how to greet the man. She slowly held her hand out to him. He did not seem to react but instead remained still, his hands still clasped in front of him.

"It is good to meet you Ms. Highmore. I have heard much about and your incredible gifts," he said and it seemed he was trying to smile.

Eva took her hand back and her eyes dropped to the floor. She wanted Michael to be with her. Being around Duquette made her anxious.

"Eva was just given her first registration test for becoming an approved seer. We are excited to continue to work on those skills this coming semester, aren't we Eva?" Her sickly sweet smile fell upon Eva.

Eva sheepishly nodded back.

"Well, my dear, you seem anxious. You should be excited after your first test," Duquette coaxed, squeezing her shoulder.

Eva stuttered to the get the words out, "I'm sorry Madame Duquette, I should be finding my father. He was suppose to meet me, I should probably go find him." Eva quickly stepped out of her grasp and tried to walk past the Head of the DoM. Her should gently brushed across his elbow as she passed and she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

The dark narrow hallways began to distort, becoming blurred with flashes of light. Eva quickly sped down the hallways trying to get away from the lights and Duquette.

She reached the elevator just in time for the doors to open and Michael to step out.

"Eva!" Michael gasped as she ran into his arms. "My dear, what is it?"

The moment that she was in his embrace, the dizziness slowed and she returned to herself.

"Please, I just want to go," Eva spoke, her voice shaky and out of breath.

"Alright, of course," Michael hesitated, but slowly guided her onto the elevator where the ascended to the exit.


End file.
